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First Look at the MacBook Air

MacBook Blah

This is useful if you check email and surf the web while traveling or do simple work or power point documents while on the road. Otherwise, I'm not sure who would really need to trade the power and flexibility of a full laptop with a optical drive, FW and other goodies unless they really had to keep things light and small. Underwhelmed by this new laptop. Looks good, but I would miss being able to burn media files (if needed in an emergency) or transferring files via FW or putting large media on my drive.
 
What they should have done...

All they needed to do was take the macbook, put a 45nm chip in there, a dedicated GPU, the guesture trackpad, an Expresscard slot, cellular connectivity and a real DVI port and it would have been a complete HIT. If they didn't have room they could have left out the dvd drive and added firewire 800 and it still would have been a HIT. This macbook air is without a doubt a MISS.
 
MacbookSwitcher said:
If you honestly think it was possible to make a laptop as thin and small as the Macbook Air, with the same specs as the Macbook Pro, for the same price as the Macbook, then...

1) You are a hardware design and logistics genius above all others in the world, and need to replace Steve Jobs ASAP,

or

2) You don't know anything about putting together cutting edge computer hardware, and are living in a fantasy land where the limits of computer hardware production are solely based on any arbitrary geek's imagination, not real world factors.
Click to expand...

You read my post wrong. I don't give a crap about trying to put all the features in that form factor. I, and I'm betting the market, doesn't give a crap about a quarter of an inch. You are sacrificing too much. No optical drive. If anything it should SHIP with the damn unit. And a nonreplacable battery. This is unforgivable. The air has a wow factor. That is it. Nothing more. its sizes does NOTHING for road warriors. Nothing. What you are loosing in features easily impacts you more then a half inch. I should know. Last year I spent about 6 weeks out of the year flying around the country. A 12" MacBook Pro with a 1" thick would be optimal for most people. This...this is easily too small and too neutered.

PS. Take a look at most UMPC devices that run in the $700 range which have system boards that are as small as the air. Even if you add a real CPU and a better graphics card..... Apple is pulling another iPhone with this thing. They are overcharging by a metric crap ton. And don't give me that whole R&D crap. They came out with figures a few months back stating that Apple has a nest egg in the billions. They are price gouging the fanbois.
 
MacbookSwitcher said:
The whining in here is un-believeable!!! (as Steve Jobs would say).

People are complaining that the price is too high. Yet the same people are complaining that the specs are too low! Higher specs would mean an even higher price, fools!

WAH WAH WAH!!!!
processor is too slow
WAAH WAAH WAAH!!!
mono speaker
no upgradeable RAM
WAAH WAAH WAAH!!!!
hard drive is too small
no optical drive
WAAH WAAH I have no understanding of business decisions, consumer behavior and design trade-offs WAAH WAAH!!!

Do you idiots (excuse my language!) really think this machine could have been as thin as it is and as cheap as it is if they added in all that stuff? If they did, it would be the same as a Macbook Pro, you morons, which already exists!

And for all those who think the SSD option is too expensive, go and price out a Dell Latitude D630 and tell me how much the 64 GB SSD option costs. That's right $1000, the exact same as Apple's SSD option on the 1.6 GHz Air!!

Grow the *** up! I can't believe the level if ignorance being spouted here.
Click to expand...

I kinda thing you are the one that is brain cell challenged. A computer is a tool first, not a piece of art. Who gives a flip if the MBA is thin as Kate Moss if it lacks key functionality...like a replaceable battery. This isn't crying, it's constructive criticism. Honestly, if you are going to spend $1700 for a Word Processor/Internet terminal then you are the one a few short on the IQ points with all due respect. I'd rather Apple had announced Penryn MBP today instead. At least that would be usable. The MBA is just pretty...pretty pointless.
 
elgruga said:
This post needs a reply.
Like a lot of the 'pro-airbook' posts, you seem to believe that simply being 'thin' is some kind of a special feature that we need.
Thats not correct.

The dimensions that matter are the screen size, because it affects the overall size, the size that matters when it goes into a bag.
Its reasonably obvious that the last compact laptop, the PB12" was very popular.
It happened to be:

2" narrower, 1/4" thicker, and 0.3" less deep.
It had a 1.5 ghz processor (only 100 hz slower than this one)
It had ALL the ports and drives and connectors you could want.
It retailed at $1499 USD.
It weighed 4.6 pounds, 1.6 pounds heavier than the Airbook.
It was last produced in October 2005.

If this new machine is so great, how has it managed to throw away all the advantages of the PB12" for a trade-off of:

A smaller drive
no optical
no ports
$300 more expensive
1.3" bigger screen. (wow)
1.6 pounds lighter
1/4" thinner.
Not very much faster processor.
A full 2" wider - thats where it gets to be too big.
And a frickin' glossy screen...

This is NOT progress - this is obsession with looks and 'thin'.

I would expect the 'new' compact laptop to be considerably better than the PB 12" - this is NOT the case.

Something has gone awry in the development and final production of this machine - who knows what? Somebody got tunnel vision with 'thin'....
Its not right, and most here see that.
Hopefully it will sell, but after all the recent successes, its a disappointment.
It could have been so much better.

BTW, idiots isnt the best word to throw around - I would hazard a guess that a lot of people here are fairly bright....:cool:
Click to expand...

The MacBook Air blows away the PB G4 1.5GHz in speed and even 3D performance too. The Core 2 Duo is 2-3X faster and believe me you can feel this!

Apple is trying to move people into it's wireless world of Apple bliss, wait and see in a few years time the ethernet ports on the MacBooks and pros will vanish, then the iMacs and MacPros. Then a new class of Airs will blow us away!! Muhahahaha:p
 
Get over yourselves

get over yourselves. SERIOUSLY.

This notebook is not designed for everyone "Oh I was waiting to get a new Mac..."

It's for the people with multiple macs, who aren't going to buy this as THEIR ONLY APPLE machine.

Apple's looking to target the same customers they did back with the Duo when people still used desktops (even though it docked) and a secondary machine.

I have 3 MacBook Pros, 2 Desktop Machines, and an assortment of 30" Displays.

Everyday I lug my backpack with survival gear + MacBook Pro back and forth to the office, and it's hell. Now I can finally leave my MacBook Pro at the office, and just carry around a 13" notebook for most of the stuff I do.

It's not fast enough to import firewire video, or work with high-end stuff. But is MORE than fast enough to do what 90% of most daily stuff webmail, email, internet.
 
rockosmodurnlif said:
I don't think so. I mean the two-finger touchpad wasn't backwards compatible with the older Powerbooks. And this thing has a lot more gestures.

Isn't the touch area on the Air bigger too?
Click to expand...

I don't see the current MB/MBPs having any trouble doing all of the multitouch tasks except from the 3 finger swipe. A bigger touch area may make it more comfortable to do multitouch gestures, but otherwise means nothing as a technical obstacle.
 
MacbookSwitcher said:
Can you honestly sit there and tell me all the miniaturization work and specialized engineering that went into putting so much into such a small package, should carry no additional cost??

Are you really telling me that ultra-portability carries no value to the consumer??

Oh really???? I'm glad you don't work for Apple then!
Click to expand...

Yes I honestly can

and sorry for criticizing your marketing scheme on your new product, Mr. Jobs
 
Ok so it appears many people are not happy with the new laptop (me being one of them).

What people do need to realize is this is the "technology du jour." The people who buy these are guinea pigs. Eventually many of these cool new features will make there way into the MBP, but right now it's just too expensive.

But the ironic thing is this:

Apple's website asks you if you want to want to add Final Cut Express to your MacBook Air order....but there is no Firewire port. Oops.
 
Legacy said:
Apple have indeed attempted to all out with this laptop. They have tried to address those who think 11-12" is too small by keeping the 13" screen estate, and included with it a full-size keyboard and backlit lighting which is very cool.

Apple is trying to get a share in everyplace in the home and there is only one way to do this: think different, think 'air'.

The boldness is in the features which have been dropped. There is a common theme running in the products released or updated today and that is the 'Air'. The name wasn't just chosen because it represented the highest selling type of Nike trainer in the world. Apple are heavily pushing forward wireless technology through the new 802.11n standard. The Apple TV, Time Capsule and iPhone are examples of this. Apple TV holds its place in your living room, while Time capsule functions as your WiFi centre, backup device and router and the iPhone replaces your portable music player and phone with a Smartphone that does everything every phone and ipod used to do better, with the added support of WiFi. Of course the iPod Touch was also introduced as a cheaper option to fill the gap for those who didn't need the phone or the hefty price-tag and monthly subscription contract associated with it.

Whats next? The MacBook Air. This is the mobile WiFI device that everyone will buy. It is NOT an ultraportable laptop by any means. It is a light, thin, yet fully functional computer that people can carry anywhere to browse the internet from any WIFI hotspot (which Apple is trying to promote, although is a long way away).

Remember folks, Apple pushed the Airport standard before WiFi really took off, and the launch of the iMac in 1998 paved the way for the extinction of the floppy disk as it is today.

The removal of ethernet and the optical drive are the two bold moves here and the beauty of the MacBook Air will attempt to masque Apple's subtle shift towards a wireless platform of electronics which it will want to pioneer by having a product for every possible corner of your house, bag or pocket.

Will it succeed? Yes. Not the MacBook Air, but the vision. Everyone was crying back in 1998 when the floppy went, no one thinks twice about it now.

Welcome to the era of chique, wireless computing. C'est la vie...:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

The truth is this: The sales will flop there is not doubt in my mind about that!

BUT!!!, this is the start of a new possibility, apple will like its other products perfect it until around 210 it will be perfect and be the standard, just like the ipod and imac. It took sometime however for those products to get popular. The mac air is just ahead of its time. See apple has the idea but the technology does not exist, well at a reasonable price. See apple needs a cd drive in there. It is way to early to get rid of a cd drive. I dont expect until at least 225 and that is based on predictions on the floppy that the industry will turn away from CD drive. There is just so much you can do like burn cd, dvd, watch them.
 
elgruga said:
This post needs a reply.
Like a lot of the 'pro-airbook' posts, you seem to believe that simply being 'thin' is some kind of a special feature that we need.
Thats not correct.

The dimensions that matter are the screen size, because it affects the overall size, the size that matters when it goes into a bag.
Its reasonably obvious that the last compact laptop, the PB12" was very popular.
It happened to be:

2" narrower, 1/4" thicker, and 0.3" less deep.
It had a 1.5 ghz processor (only 100 hz slower than this one)
It had ALL the ports and drives and connectors you could want.
It retailed at $1499 USD.
It weighed 4.6 pounds, 1.6 pounds heavier than the Airbook.
It was last produced in October 2005.

If this new machine is so great, how has it managed to throw away all the advantages of the PB12" for a trade-off of:

A smaller drive
no optical
no ports
$300 more expensive
1.3" bigger screen. (wow)
1.6 pounds lighter
1/4" thinner.
Not very much faster processor.
A full 2" wider - thats where it gets to be too big.
And a frickin' glossy screen...

This is NOT progress - this is obsession with looks and 'thin'.

I would expect the 'new' compact laptop to be considerably better than the PB 12" - this is NOT the case.

Something has gone awry in the development and final production of this machine - who knows what? Somebody got tunnel vision with 'thin'....
Its not right, and most here see that.
Hopefully it will sell, but after all the recent successes, its a disappointment.
It could have been so much better.

BTW, idiots isnt the best word to throw around - I would hazard a guess that a lot of people here are fairly bright....:cool:
Click to expand...

The answer to your question is quite simple: Apple would have no longer had the title of "world's thinnest notebook"

Being able to make that claim is worth gold.

Also, the machine you are describing, a souped-up Powerbook, would not have been different enough from a Macbook to justify a new product.
 
Fast Shadow said:
Ethernet jack doesn't bother me since it's got a dongle, but no RAM upgrade and no user replaceable battery are deal killers for me, unfortunately. That being said, it's a brilliant piece of tech and they'll sell a lot of them. But I really do need more than 2 gigs of RAM. Virtualization requires more.
Click to expand...

The user replaceable battery is a big deal and at this moment in time is a deal breaker. I say "this moment" because there is always the possibility of an alternative power source.

As to the RAM allotment that doesn't really bother me. First; it is a large amount of RAM in a unit this small. Second; soldered in RAM is more reliable. As to virtualization I Guess that a few might want to try that but I'd have to ask why? This really isn't the platform for that sort of thing.

Dave
 
I guess its kind of like apple makes a smaller ipod the 80gb. Its thinner but by the time you put it in a case and in your pocket you could give a $%it.
 
topicolo said:
I don't see the current MB/MBPs having any trouble doing all of the multitouch tasks except from the 3 finger swipe. A bigger touch area may make it more comfortable to do multitouch gestures, but otherwise means nothing as a technical obstacle.
Click to expand...
What I'm saying is Apple didn't do it last time, so I don't see them doing it this time.

Maybe some third party will do it but I don't install that type of software.
 
I'll bet $5000 right now with anyone here on the form that the sales won't flop. In fact they will be stellar. The 70% of people who make up Apple's revenue buy new hardware every 6 months. That means if you are standing in the Apple store making a big purchase decision odds are 70% of the people around you, a probably just getting something to replace the $3,000 laptop they bought last year.

Seriously, you don't have a clue if you think it will flop, probably flop like most people said the iPod would.

This device is perfect, and if it sold nowhere except outside of silicon valley it would be a smashing success.
 
Mr

I wrote out a whole email describing a second scenario for a laptop, but you know what i think we want? Give us a macbook with no built in optical, the option for a SSD later on, the 1.8 formfactor hard drive, the new touchpad, and slim it down a bit (which should be doable due to the lack of optical drive and smaller hard drive, and price it at $1499. Voila! Instant success. THAT is what i believe a lot of us wanted. Heck even make a smaller screen to make it a smaller footprint.
 
inkhead said:
get over yourselves. SERIOUSLY.

This notebook is not designed for everyone "Oh I was waiting to get a new Mac..."

It's for the people with multiple macs, who aren't going to buy this as THEIR ONLY APPLE machine.

Apple's looking to target the same customers they did back with the Duo when people still used desktops (even though it docked) and a secondary machine.

I have 3 MacBook Pros, 2 Desktop Machines, and an assortment of 30" Displays.

Everyday I lug my backpack with survival gear + MacBook Pro back and forth to the office, and it's hell. Now I can finally leave my MacBook Pro at the office, and just carry around a 13" notebook for most of the stuff I do.

It's not fast enough to import firewire video, or work with high-end stuff. But is MORE than fast enough to do what 90% of most daily stuff webmail, email, internet.
Click to expand...

Well yes and no. See in time this mac book air will be the mainstream standard. But apple is ahead of its time. Right now, technology is limiting apples dreams. But yes for right now it is made for those people who are wealthy and people who have more than one comptuer. I would have to concur.
 
inkhead said:
I'll bet $5000 right now with anyone here on the form that the sales won't flop. In fact they will be stellar. The 70% of people who make up Apple's revenue buy new hardware every 6 months. That means if you are standing in the Apple store making a big purchase decision odds are 70% of the people around you, a probably just getting something to replace the $3,000 laptop they bought last year.

Seriously, you don't have a clue if you think it will flop, probably flop like most people said the iPod would.

This device is perfect, and if it sold nowhere except outside of silicon valley it would be a smashing success.
Click to expand...

LOL! I'll take that bet. Easy $5K. Once the performance numbers come out, they won't sell a single one.
 
I laugh at the people comparing it to G4 and G5s, what about something from this century? Like the Core 2 Duo's in the rest of Apple's "real" computers?

1.8ghz is way to slow for me to do many of the things I do. Sure you CAN run photoshop on it, but anyone who spends $2000 on Photoshop probably uses it all day, and doesn't want to wait for a 1.8ghz processors to work with.

Sorry but even my MacBook Pro at 2.6ghz I dream of it being about twice as fast with all the stuff I do.
 
inkhead said:
I'll bet $5000 right now with anyone here on the form that the sales won't flop. In fact they will be stellar. The 70% of people who make up Apple's revenue buy new hardware every 6 months. That means if you are standing in the Apple store making a big purchase decision odds are 70% of the people around you, a probably just getting something to replace the $3,000 laptop they bought last year.

Seriously, you don't have a clue if you think it will flop, probably flop like most people said the iPod would.

This device is perfect, and if it sold nowhere except outside of silicon valley it would be a smashing success.
Click to expand...
it is not perfect. It is ahead of its time. No one in their right mind is going to buy this. Do you see how many negatives this thread has got, did you see how the crowd was not so pleasntly happy at number 4. People and magizines are calling it a disaapointment. The sales will flop. I have taken marketing, and this only appeals to people who want the best and the newest and even they would not buy it because it doesnt make sense to pay for a ntoebook that is thinner. No one really cares. The macbook pros weight is fine how it is. Most bussiness people use ibm and windows platform. Everyone uses core duo, and when consumer find out that this is not as good as dells core duo then the consumer will go with dell because of the bigger number and price tag. Grow up, dont me so mac fanboish. I have apple products but this is pushing it. Even if I had the money, which I do, why would I buy this? My dell only weights 4 pounds it has a 8400m gpu, 13.3 led, 2.6 core duo and less than 1.5 grand. Come on! .87 inches thick. Who cares if the mac book is like .4 inches thiner, who really cares?
 
MacbookSwitcher said:
The whining in here is un-believeable!!! (as Steve Jobs would say).

People are complaining that the price is too high. Yet the same people are complaining that the specs are too low! Higher specs would mean an even higher price, fools!

WAH WAH WAH!!!!
processor is too slow
WAAH WAAH WAAH!!!
mono speaker
no upgradeable RAM
WAAH WAAH WAAH!!!!
hard drive is too small
no optical drive
WAAH WAAH I have no understanding of business decisions, consumer behavior and design trade-offs WAAH WAAH!!!

Do you idiots (excuse my language!) really think this machine could have been as thin as it is and as cheap as it is if they added in all that stuff? If they did, it would be the same as a Macbook Pro, you morons, which already exists!

And for all those who think the SSD option is too expensive, go and price out a Dell Latitude D630 and tell me how much the 64 GB SSD option costs. That's right $1000, the exact same as Apple's SSD option on the 1.6 GHz Air!!

Grow the *** up! I can't believe the level if ignorance being spouted here.
Click to expand...


I rather pay for a 2.6 4gb 160gb 15" or 17" with all the bell and whistles then 3098 for a led screen, keyboard and 1 usb WITH A HARDDRIVE PLATTER which is basically what the air is..
That doesnt even sound right......


Maybe the "theres something in the air" is directed towards the people that ARE so lost with technology that they feel the macbook air is top notch.
AIRHEADS ANY 1
 
Props to:

Intel and the hardware engineers for some amazing small electronics.
I think everything else about this laptop is quite overrated - including the name.
 
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